Introducing Out + About
In 2016, Salt Lake City was ranked by Advocate as one of the queerest cities in the United States. As of 2023, 6.1% of Utah’s population identifies as queer, according UCLA’s Williams Institute. And that rate increases when looking specifically at the age range of 18 to 24, where 15.3% identify as part of the LGTBQ+ community.
In a place like this where the queer community grows each day, connection is key. Finding your people, your support systems, and your safe spaces gives you the freedom to be your authentic self, even in the face of hardships.
That’s where Out + About comes in.
What is Out + About?
Out + About is a publication dedicated to highlighting the incredible LGBTQ+ community in and around Salt Lake City. Our goal is to share the stories of the people, organizations, businesses, and events that make this community so remarkable.
We’re here to highlight the people who teach us to love, the activists who shape our future, the artists who turn strife into celebration, and the spaces that welcome us all. Most importantly, we’re celebrating the voices quiet and loud–the stories told a thousand times and the ones never before heard.
If there’s anything out there helping our community connect, flourish, and grow, we’ll be out and about covering it.
Who is Out + About?
Behind this project is a duo dedicated to telling the stories that matter: Libby Peterson and Maren Smith.
Libby (she/her) is a graphic designer and illustrator born and raised in Utah. Out + About began as Libby’s senior capstone project for her Graphic Design degree at the University of Utah. As a queer woman growing up Mormon in Utah, finding queer spaces and community was a pivotal part of her journey to finding herself and loving her queerness. While Out + About began as a design project, Libby’s goal was to make it a reality–which is where Maren entered the picture.
Maren (she/her) is a writer and passionate storyteller, fascinated by people, places, feelings, ideas, and everything else that makes the world go round. Despite living abroad for a majority of her life, there was one place that always represented home to her: Utah. Now a Utah resident, she is dedicated to learning more about her home and connecting with her LGBTQ+ community each day.
What Can You Expect?
Every Monday, we’ll share an article here on Substack diving into a range of topics–from local LGBTQ+ businesses to exciting events and little-known moments in Utah’s rich queer history. On top of that, we’ll be posting lots of content throughout each week on our Instagram page: @outandabout.slc. Here, we’ll be sharing short versions of our articles, previews of awesome events each weekend, and can’t-miss queer moments from the city we love.
To make sure you don’t miss out on any stories from us here at Out + About, make sure to follow us on Instagram and Substack!
Now, let’s get out + about and celebrate our community together.